Exceptionally few species produce violet light having wavelengths shorter than 450 nm 8. In marine luminous animals, the majority of deep-sea species emit blue light with wavelengths around 475 nm, and green light with wavelengths around 500 nm is the most common color in shallow-water species 6, 7, 8. One of the notable observations is the relationship between habitat depth and color of bioluminescence in the ocean 6. The color of the emitted light depends on the species, and its biological meaning has been discussed from various aspects, such as habitat or luminous behavior 3, 4, 5. Luminous animals are diverse, and more than 700 genera have been found to contain light-emitting species 1, 2. These results will promote an understanding of the ecology and luminescence mechanisms of luminous Polycirrus spp. We also found a Renilla luciferase homologous gene, but coelenterazine was not detected in the worm extract by analyses using a liquid chromatography and a recombinant Renilla luciferase. An analysis of differentially expressing genes based on separate RNA-Seq analysis for the tentacles and the rest of body revealed the specific expression of genes that are probably involved in innate immunity in the tentacles exposed to predators. ISK based on morphological observations, and the luminescence spectrum showed a peak at 444 nm, which is an exceptionally short wavelength for bioluminescence in a shallow coastal water environment. The worm was designated as Polycirrus sp. Here, for the first time, we video-recorded the violet-light-emitting behavior of an undescribed Japanese worm in its natural habitat. However, there is no video-recorded observation of the luminous behavior of such unique species in nature, and the genetic information related to their ecology are lacking. Some Terebellidae worms whose tentacles emit light are found around the world, including exceptional violet-light-emitting Polycirrus spp. Terebellidae worms have large numbers of tentacles responsible for various biological functions.
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